"What this Country needs is not a change OF men but a change IN men"
March 1980

Friday, August 01, 2008

ARMM polls psotponement won't pass Senate

The Senate committee on suffrage yesterday virtually closed its doorson a postponement of the elections in the Autonomous Region in MuslimMindanao (ARMM) scheduled on Aug. 11, saying the Upper Chamber is not keen on entertaining the bill filed in the Lower House for that purpose.

In an interview, Sen. Richard Gordon told the Tribune that while theyrespect the ongoing peace negotiations between the government and theMoro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), the government should not justaccede to the MILF's demand for the ARMM election's postponement asthe rebels are seeking the inclusion of 712 new barangays and thecities of Lamitan and Cotobato in the expanded region.

"The peace accord should be unconditional," said Gordon. "For thegovernment to accept the demand of the MILF wouldonly weaken our position on the negotiating table."

"I don't want to strengthen the hand of MILF by postponing the ARMM election."

"As chairman of suffrage, I object to a postponement," said Gordon."

The Commission on Elections (Comelec), he said, has already concludeda series of simulated polls using both the Optical Mark Reader andDirect Recording Electronic types of automated election systems, thesenator said. "Thus, we are on the eve of electoral greatness and withthe Automated Election systems now in place, we will hear ourdemocracy speak the truth clearly and quickly," the author of theAmended Automated Elections Law said.

"We will finally see the end of a lack of closure in our political exercises, where even the counting of votes is concluded with no clear winner emerging as opposing camps hurl accusations of fraud at each other."

Gordon added that if the ARMM election is postponed, people would bemade to shoulder the P300 million bill for the lease of the automatedelection machines.

"We are only leasing the equipment for the automated polls and theyhave already been paid. If we postpone the elections, then there goesanother P300 million in public funds that will go down the drain,"said Gordon.